THE BARNFIELD THEATRE

by Aliya Al-Hassan - March 11, 2026

Christy Lefteri’s 2019 bestseller The Beekeeper of Aleppo is both a powerful and poetic story about the refugee experience. Her story of Nuri and his wife Afra's escape from Syria to England was inspired by time Lefteri spent working in a refugee camp in Athens. Syria may currently be seen as le...

by Jo Caruana - March 03, 2026

The filter-like haze hits you first. Then the occasional lighting, the tiled ceiling, and the faint whiff of the 80s. But it's the arrival of two extraordinary performances – Madelyn Smedley's fizzing, fearless Rita and Julius D'Silva's weary, cynical Frank – that makes Reading Rep Theatre's Edu...

by Caroline Cronin - February 24, 2026

Adapted by Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade from Somerset Maugham’s original play, The Constant Wife, this new version is directed by Co-Artistic Director of the RSC Tamara Harvey and is now embarking on a UK Tour which, delightfully, opened in Brighton this week. It may not have played to a f...

by Cheryl Markosky - March 01, 2026

What did our critic think of LA BOHEME IN CINEMAS at Cinemas Across The UK?...

by Gary Naylor - February 19, 2026

Innovative take on familiar comedy proves hit and miss as lovers and fairies fight...

by Laura Lott - February 18, 2026

Before Taylor Swift versus Charli XCX - but after The Beatles versus The Rolling Stones - came Blur versus Oasis. David Niven's debut comedy at Birmingham Rep takes us back to the summer of 1995, when temperatures and egos both soared and the nation was gripped by the chart battle between Oasis’ �...

by Christiana Rose - February 16, 2026

Set beneath a vibrant circus tent filled with sparkling multicoloured lights and fluttering flags, the production opens with a jovial instrumental atmosphere that immediately invites children into the world of the show....

by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 12, 2026

Today we are wearily familiar with the terms 'Stop the Boats' and the narrative that all refugees are coming to Britain to take 'our' jobs, scam us for benefits and prey upon young girls. Nick Ahad's adaptation of Onjali Q. Raúf's beautiful book, The Boy at the Back of the Class, takes much of th...

by Caroline Cronin - February 12, 2026

Three years ago, I sat in this same auditorium reviewing Blood Brothers for this publication, and I wondered then what gives this show its extraordinary staying power. Returning now to see the very same production - with the same creative team and even some returning cast members - the answer is cle...

by Gary Naylor - February 05, 2026

If it's not quite as slick as it might be, this oldies show can still push a lot of the right nostalgia buttons...